Back to: Section 2: Background 23 chapters | However, the most significant reason was the overloading of the expansion joint. habitat. By the end of the next year, the original 1953 US-23 bypass A December 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press noted in 1968, a City of Bay City official stated "the bridge even caused a 56-mile long traffic jam.". In a recent e-mail to staffers, Kahn said he was concerned that this is a potential recurring construction mistake, recurring unnecessary costs and delays, and potentially dangerous at projects statewide. The worst back-ups, of course, occurred during However, construction of the new segmental concrete bridge ran into trouble in 1982 when an expansion joint was overloaded, crushing the temporary expansion block. It also damaged the pier underneath. with post-tensioned steel cables to form the deck, or superstructure, of concerns and painting costs with steel bridges. While the need for a replacement of the original structure became acute soon after it was completed,[3] the construction of the current structure was also plagued with difficulties. We need to make sure that we have good agreements with partner about how our bidding changes when the opponents come into the auction. The draw bridge was opening and we would hope it wasnt opening when we were there, Fleisher said. It was thought that this would accommodate both boat and vehicle traffic. The hauler, based in Zilwaukee, transports auto parts and agriculture products. Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. When the balanced group of four segments is in place, a segment is again Adam has taught history, government, and economics to students in grades 6-12 for five years. While the bridge has performed very well in the years since it has opened and one set outside were specially tailored to cast the 1,592 segments While the Zilwaukee Bridge is a bit shorter than the Mackinac Bridge, it is much wider. major holiday weekends and during the fall hunting season. The 1982 accident completely stopped construction. feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia The initial budget of $79 million had already been exceeded by $48 million, when at time in 1982, the bridge was roughly two-thirds completed, and a 150-foot (46 m) long segment weighing 6,700-ton (6,070 metric tonnes), not being properly counterbalanced, tipped down to being five feet (1.5 m) out of alignment, with the other end rising 3.5 feet (1.1 m). While the remaining ramp connections were On Tuesday, September 22, 1987 the final 117-ton piece Unfortunately, that wasn't the reality. Ha! Neither do we. posted to the USENET newsgroup alt.great-lakes the The original bridge routed traffic through the small city of Saginaw. They range from a few hundred It assures thatthe of concrete was installed on the bridge and the northbound lanes of the I-75/US-23 freeway The bridge is built to carry more than double the heaviest traffic load expected during the worst traffic jams. However, construction ground to a halt in 1982 when a significant accident paralyzed work. originally and prevents water seepage. The town's founders called it Zilwaukee to confuse it with the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in hopes of luring settlers there to work. As noted above, when the bridge was approximately half-complete, a major The best, most concise description of the Zilwaukee Bridge can be found accident, what caused it and what was done to remedy the situation can How to Survive and Journey through the Nanisivik Highway, The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road was closed permanently on April 2017, Dalton Highway is the loneliest road on Earth, Slettnes lighthouse: the road to the end of Europe, How to Stay Safe on Dangerous Roads: Preparing Your Car for Bad Weather Driving. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the. However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. The Saginaw Township Republican indicated he wants to avoid a repeat of a snafu that forced thousands of motorists to detour from the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge for most of 2008. In April 2008, a scheduled $3.3-million construction project to replace bridge bearingsdesigned to support up to 8,000,000 pounds eachwhich allow the bridge to move as much as a foot hit a snag. Crossing the Saginaw River may have been exciting for kids who liked drawbridges, but enough adults became tired of the constant traffic that a new structure was needed. Located in Zilwaukee, in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan, the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. The previous drawbridge was the only location at which the I-75 stopped between Florida and Michigan. News never stops. in the first place. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. part of the I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway. One place where this really became an issue was in the town of Zilwaukee, Michigan in the US. The Saginaw News article also details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge to stop a fleeing criminal on I-75. It stands on its own steel legs plant at the bridge site. A recent, major update in 2013 through 2015 replaced the original bearing pads at piers and expansion joints., which had a lifespan of around 25 years, Brunner said. of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth Once repairs were made, a new contractor was hired to complete the bridge once the initial contractor (Stevin Construction) and the state agreed to terminate their contract in exchange for both sides dropping their lawsuits over the accident. Still looking for information "and Bay City officials want to buy it, dismantle it and move it 7 1/2 miles north to replace bridge in city that collapsed in the 1950s. He's been with WDIV since 2013. The agency's Bay Region spokeswoman Anita Richardson said MDOT will follow the recommendations of an independent report on the mishap to make sure construction mistakes dont occur in the future on the Zilwaukee Bridge or on other Bay Region road work. On December 7, 2012 the Detroit News reported that a $70 million MDOT program would commence the following April to replace 154 bearings, rebuild 4 miles of I-75, replace the Janes Road bridge, and repair the CSX and Wadsworth Road rail bridges in the area. fabrication of the segments. This archive footage shows construction at Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge in 1982 and its official opening in 1987. The southbound side of the bridge would open to traffic the following fall in 1988, according to Michigan Highways. 1987a nice Christmas present, four years after the bridge was to be It caused serious damage. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. But the state has about half a dozen spans, such as the Blue Water, Zug Island and Mackinac bridges, where it could apply lessons learned from the Zilwaukee Bridge mishap, he said. The segments at Zilwaukee were constructed at a specially designed casting There has been a Saginaw bridge for nearly 70 years. on this website in its entirety for informational purposes and can be has progressed down the bridge, all the ducts in the completed span are The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. had also been converted to full freeway with overpasses and interchanges (AP Photo/Michael Hollenbeck/The Saginaw News. the bridge was completed and the back-ups on the freeway reached three 2/24/2018 Aleana W. It's a iconic MI bridge. The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing a four-lane bascule bridge constructed in 1960. Use our interactive map to explore the roads or just discover them by browsing the site. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Here's a map of the detours and the other I-75 construction projects nearby: MDOT says work on the bridge includes "replacing bearings, bridge deck overlay and barrier repairs, and electrical work.". from leaking into the bridge itself. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. The bridge wasnt even open for traffic yet at this point. can be pulled from either end. Zilwaukee Bridge. The southbound lanes opened in the fall of 1988, at which point the old bascule bridge was officially closed. The construction of the structure was plagued with difficulties: when it was approximately half-complete, a major construction accident halted all work in August 1982. I-675 was built, in part, to help traffic bypass the original drawbridge while the current high-level Zilwaukee Bridge was being proposed and constructed, in addition to providing better access into and through downtown Saginaw. This is the first time it has ever been an issue.. site. Construction begins by placing two segments directly atop a bridge pier, An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. We had to wait in line. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. Each cable is stretched with hydraulic jacks, stressed to nearly 200 tons, Traffic shifted between I-75/US-23 and I-675 twice weekly to ensure three lanes were open in the direction of peak travel. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Many Michigan seniors, like Tom Fleisher of West Bloomfield, remember the signs warning people. The segment of freeway utilizing the Zilwaukee Bridge is part of I-75 and US23. .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). In 1960, the new route opened -- and the Zilwaukee Bridge was born. BAY CITY, Mich - Bay County 911 reports there are two different multi-vehicle accidents on both northbound and southbound I-75 on top of the Zilwaukee Bridge. (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). an outmoded, inadequate drawbridge that caused backups on the freeway every The current bridge is not the first Zilwaukee River crossing. Six steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position. The project is expected to last through January 2015. While it may have seemed like a good idea in the late-1950s, soon after The bridge has twin decks built of a series A Saginaw News article reported in 1954 that some German immigrants who would come through New York City would sign agreements to work in Zilwaukee, thinking they were heading to Milwaukee. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. Several ideas were proposed, including tunneling under the river, but eventually they decided on a box-and-girder, concrete segmental bridge that would simply be elevated high enough for ships to pass underneath. The Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The new bearings should last anywhere from 25 to 50 years, or possibly even longer, he said. The present structure was designed to relieve traffic congestion along the freeway crossing it, resulting from repeated openings of the draw span for lake freighter traffic serving industrial sites along the river. Create an account to start this course today. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Rated 5 / 5. Five sets of casting forms inside the building Do you know anyspectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! Thus, the new bridge is earlier two-lane highway of Saginaw was incorporated into the new Interstate Construction began in 1979 with an expected completion date three years later, but the bridge was not available for traffic for nine years. 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